Article 18 of the Saudi Traffic Law

المادة 18 من نظام المرور · الباب الثاني: تسجيل المركبات ورخص السير

The article requires government bodies not to sell their vehicles except after coordinating with the competent department (the Traffic Department).

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

تلزم الجهات الحكومية بعدم بيع مركباتها إلا بعد التنسيق مع الإدارة المختصة .

This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers

Article 18 explained in plain English

This article is addressed specifically to government bodies, and places a restriction on them when disposing of their vehicles: they may not sell their vehicles except after coordinating with the competent department, that is, the Traffic Department.

The text makes the following clear:

The obligation rests on the selling government body, not on the buyer.
The coordination comes before the sale; it is not enough to inform the Traffic Department after the sale is completed.
The text covers the vehicles of government bodies without distinguishing among their types.

The article does not say how this coordination is done or what procedures follow from it; it is limited to requiring that it take place before the sale. The evident purpose is for the Traffic Department, as the body responsible for registering vehicles and their plates, to know of the vehicle before it leaves the government body's ownership.

In its context the article is linked to Article 17, which bars anyone other than the owner from driving a vehicle when it leaves the Kingdom except under an authorization as the Regulations specify, and to Article 19, which requires public works vehicles to be registered with the competent body so as to ensure their owner is known, to have plates fitted, and sets the procedures for transferring ownership and the conditions for using and driving them as the Regulations specify. All of these articles aim to keep track of who owns a vehicle and who deals with it.

Anyone who buys a vehicle from a government body and faces a problem registering it, or who works for a government body and needs to know the sale requirements, may consult a lawyer who specializes in traffic and administrative matters.

Practical example

A municipality decided to sell a number of its old cars at auction. Under this article it may not complete the sale except after coordinating with the Traffic Department.

Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.

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